Bathing enclosure



May 17, 1960 D. A. TRACY BATHING ENCLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. wzyfim fi-agy BY Z A TTOI? NE Y5 May 17, 1960 D. A. TRACY BATHING ENCLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001:. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. Da/g'yli A. Zimqy B A TTORNEYS May 17, 1960 D. A. TRACY BATHING ENCLOSURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. Biz/@255 11. Tracy A TTOPNEYS BATHING ENCLOSURE Dwight A. Tracy, Miami, Fla., assignor of one-fourth to A. Frank Katzentine Application October 25, 1957, Serial No. 692,366

Claims. (Cl. 4-449) This invention relates generally to bathing enclosures, and more particularly to a bathing enclosure having a sliding closure adapted to serve as a barrier against spray and air currents, and as a means of privacy for the bather.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a bathing enclosure having a protective closure which is conservative in its employment of usable space, not re quiring the dead space which is entailed with swinging doors, and enabling full access to the bathing area as opposed to the partial access normally afforded by sliding doors.

Another object is to provide a bathing enclosure which will eliminate the discomforture and annoyance of a hanging, flexible cloth type material being blown against and sticking to the bathers wet body.

Another object is to provide a bathing enclosure which may be readily installed in existing bathing areas or in new construction and is adaptable for use in areas of varying shapes and configurations.

Another object is to provide a bathing enclosure which has a closure that is readily movable between open and closed positions, either from within or without.

Another object is to provide a bathing enclosure which is designed to prevent sprayed or dripping water from passing to the outside thereof.

Another object is to provide a bathing enclosure which is simple in construction and operation, economical to manufacture and install, and sturdy in use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a bathing enclosure embodying the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional area taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing certain details of the construction of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing certain details of the construction of Fig. 1 when the closure is in open position;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the invention, certain portions thereof being broken away;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary View taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view disclosing certain elements of the construction in unassembled relation.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-6, the numeral 1 indicates a conventional bathtub which may be recessed in an alcove 3 of a wall 5, between the side ice Walls 7 and 9 of the alcove, and under the ceiling 11 of the alcove. A window 13 may be provided in the rear wall 15 of the alcove 3 and a shower outlet 17 and tub outlet 19 of conventional design may be provided through one of the side walls.

A pair of opposed channel members 21 and 23 are mounted by screws 25 to the side walls 7 and 9, respectively, and shirnming material 24 (see Fig. 4) may be provided in each instance to maintain the tracks in true parallel relation. The channel members 21 and 23 extend upwardly from the front wall 26 of tub I, and are curved rearwardly at a point approximately equal in height to the height of shower outlet 17, each member curving in a generally semicircular path toward rear wall 15 and extending downwardly therealong, all as illustrated in Fig. 2. The lower portions: of members 21 and 23 are curved slightly inwardly, as indicated at 28, at the point where they meet the top of front wall 26, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

A plurality of horizontally extending plastic strips 27, formed of fiberglass or other suitable material, are interconnected to form a sliding closure 29 which has its opposed side edges mounted in the channels of members 21 and 23 and extends upwardly from the rim of front wall 26 to generally the same height as shower outlet 17. Each strip 27 has its lower portion loosely secured behind the upper portion of the next lower strip by means of a plurality of horizontally aligned rivets Si or similar connectors. As shown in Fig. 4, a connecting rivet 31 is positioned adjacent either end of each strip 27 and lies Within the channels of members 21 and 23, the head 33 and the upset end 35 of each rivet 31 providing bearing surfaces to guide the sliding movement of closure 29 within the channels. Rivets 3i and 31' may be provided with fitted spacers 34 on the shanks thereof, whereby a long shank may be employed to increase the distance between the strips 27 without causing undue looseness therebetween. As shown in Fig. 6, however, the rivets 31 fit in one or both of the respective strips loosely enough to provide a substantial flexibility so that the closure 29 may adapt itself to the rounded portions of the trackway provided by members 21 and 23.

The bottom edge of the lowermost strip 27 may be provided with a strip 37 of extruded polyethylene or other suitable material to act as an abutting surface and to prevent leakage thereunder when the closure is in closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 3. it will also be noted that the lowermost strip is inclined by the curved lower portion of channel members 21 and 23, and thereby deflects dripping or sprayed Water back into the tub.

Handles 3? and 4%) may be provided on this lowermost strip to facilitate movement of the closure between open and closed positions. Accordingly, it will be seen that the closure 2@ may he slid upwardly within channel members it and 23 until its lowermost edge is approximately as high as shower outlet 17, at which time the front of the enclosure is fully open. In practice, it has been found that a plurality of the upper strips 27 may be made transparent to effect a window in the closure 2%, the remaining strips being non-transparent. Thus, when the closure is raised into open position, the area of the closure lying within the downwardly turned portion of the trackway, along rear wall 15, will be transparent and will not interfere with light from the window 13.

The channel members 21 and 23 are preferably formed in sections, the sections being spliced together as at 41. As shown in Fig. 9, the abutting end of one section is provided with a plurality of projecting members 42 adapt ed to be received by a plurality of recesses 43 formed in the abutting end of the adjacent section. Accordingly,

it will be seen that the channel members 21 and 23 and closure 29 may be readily packaged for delivery, and may be readily assembled and installed with new or existing tub showers. 1

it will readily be seen that the principles of the present invention can be employed in conventional shower stalls. Thus, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a shower outlet 49 may be mounted adjacent the corner of a room, and walls 51 and 53 of the room form the rear wall and one side wall respectively of the enclosure. A base or sho /yer pan 55 with a suitable drain 57 is mounted beneath shower outlet 49 and includes a front water-retaining wall 59. An upright post 61 is mounted adjacent rear wall 51 in spaced relation from side wall 53, and may be secured between the ceiling 63 of the room and the shower pan 55. Another upright post 65 is similarly mounted in opposed relation to post 61 at one side of front wall '9 to define the fourth corner of the enclosure. Confronting channel members 67 and 6) are secured on posts 61 and 65, and a side wall 71 may be mounted therein. It is obvious that wall '71 may be formed of any suitable material but it has been found convenient to employ a plurality of interconnecting horizontal strips 73 assembled in the same manner as the closure 29 of Figs. 1 through 6. In the present instance, however. the wall '71 is not necessarily adapted for sliding movement within channels 67 and 6%.

Channel members 75 and 7! extend upwardly from the top of front wall 59 at opposite sides thereof, being curved inwardly at their lower ends as indicated at '79. The upper portions of channel members 75 and '77 are curved rearwardly at approximately the same elevation as outlet 49 and extend in a generally semicircular path toward the wall 51 and vertically downwardly a short distance parallel thereto.

Both channel members may be formed in sections as in the case of members 21 and 23. The member 75 is mounted in appropriate assembled relation along the wall 53 as by screws 81. Channel member 77 is suitably mounted in assembled relation along the inner faces of posts 61 and 653, as by welding, and its upper curved track section suitably braced. A sliding closure member 33 is mounted in the channels of members 75 and 77 and may be identical in construction to the closure 29 of Figs. 1 through 6 previously described, as dimensions permit.

While a typical shower stall installation has been described, it will be understood that the principles of the present invention may be readily embodied in a construction where the shower outlet is mounted in an alcove, the details of construction being similar to the modification shown in Figs. 1 through 6. Similarly, where the outlet is adjacent one wall of the room and not in a corner thereof, two side walls of the enclosure may be mounted in the manner described with respect to Wall 7]., four upright posts being employed in this instance. A similar installation with the four upright posts may readily be provided where a shower outlet is installed at a substantial distance from any of the walls of the room, three sides of the enclosure being defined by walls such as the wall '71 previously described. The enclosure may also be installed in the corner of a room with the closure member and the front water-retaining wall of the shower pan extending diagonally thereacross.

it will be understood that these, and other modifications embodying chan es in dimension, construction, material and design may be readily employed without departing from the teachings of the invention or the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. Sliding closure apparatus, comprising: opposed parallel channel members extending upwardly and curved rearwardly; a plurality of overlapping strips slidingly mounted with their outer edges in said channels; and

rivets loosely interconnecting the lower portion of each strip behind the upper portion of the strip immediately therebelow, said rivets being positioned at the outer edges of said strips and lying in said channels with the projecting ends of said rivets providing bearing surfaces for sliding movement within said channel.

2. A sliding closure, comprising: a plurality of horizontal strips, each of said strips being positioned with its lower edge overlapping the upper edge of the next lower strip; a plurality of connecting members passing through overlapping portions of said strips and having enlarged end portions spaced apart a distance greater than the combined thicknesses of said strips to permit rocking movement of said strips with respect to one another, whereby said closure may be flexed to define a rounded contour.

3. A bathing enclosure, comprising: a water-receiving base having a water-impervious bottom and a relatively low water-impervious wall at the front thereof, said front wall including an upper surface; relatively high waterimpervious walls extending upwardly from said base on the remaining sides thereof to surround the zone directly above said base, leaving room for access over said front wall; a piar of track members mounted on opposite sides of said enclosure, said track members each having a channel formed therein to effect opposed parallel trackways, said trackways each having a substantially straight vertical portion extending upward from a point overlying said front wall, the lower ends of said vertical portions being curved inwardly and intersecting said upper surface of said front wall at the rear thereof and the upper ends of said vertical portions being connected with generally arcuate portions extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom above the height of said vertical portions, said vertical portions and said arcuate portions being of approximately the same linear length; and semi-rigid closure means positioned with its side edges sliding received in said trackways, said closure being of a height approximately equal to the linear length of said vertical portions and of said arcuate portions and being bendable along horizontal lines, whereby said closure means can be moved between a closed position in the vertical portions of said trackways and an open position in the arcuate portions of said trackways.

4. A bathing enclosure, comprising: a water-receiving base having a water-impervious bottom and a relatively low water impervious wall at the front thereof; relatively high water-impervious walls extending upwardly from said base on the remaining sides thereof to surround the zone directly above said base, leaving room for access over said front wall; a pair of track members mounted on opposite sides of said enclosure, said track members each having a channel formed therein to effect opposed parallel trackways, said trackways each having a substantially straight verti al portion extending upward from a point overlying said front wall and connected at its upper end with a generally arcuate portion extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom above the height of said vertical portions, said vertical portions and said arcuate portions being of approximately the same linear length; a semi-rigid closure means positioned with its side edges slidingly received in said trackways, said closure being of a height approximately equal to the linear length of said vertical portions and of said arcuate portions and comprising a plurality of interconnected horizontal strips, each of said strips having its lower portion disposed in spaced relation'behind and slightly. overlapping the upper portion of the next lower strip and being loosely secured thereto to permit said closure to bend along horizontal lines, whereby said closure means can be moved between a closed position in the vertical portions of said trackways and an open position in the arcuate portions of said trackways.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein a group of adjacent strips in #r e upper portion of said closure means are formed of transparent material, the remaining strips being non-transparent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Dobbs Apr. 9, 1935 Blechman Apr. 11, 1939 Lukaszewski Apr. 1, 1941 Dalton Sept. 6, 1949 Muhn June 27, 1950 Matos Apr. 22, 1952. Schiro June 16, 1953 Boone Aug. 9, 1955 

